This invention relates to a rack for supporting poultry in a baking pan during a baking (roasting) operation. The rack is equipped with lifting handles for taking the rack and baked poultry out of the baking pan after the cooking operation.
In conventional poultry baking practice, with a turkey, chicken, duck, etc, there is a post-baking problem in transferring the baked poultry from the baking pan onto a serving tray, cutting board, or platter. The cooked poultry has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the baking. Also, the cooked poultry is difficult to pick up with conventional tongs or other implements that might be used to lift the poultry out of the pan. Additionally, the cooked poultry may fall apart during the process of being transferred out of the baking, pan, unless the poultry is adequately supported.
The present invention is concerned with a rack that can be used to support poultry in a baking pan during a cooking (baking) operation. The rack has two lifter handles for lifting the poultry out of the pan after the cooking operation. A unique feature of the rack is that it is comprised of two slidably interconnected poultry support elements that can be completely separated from each other when the baked poultry has been transferred to a platter or serving tray.
The slidably interconnected support elements can be pulled apart from underneath the poultry, leaving the poultry resting on the platter or tray. A particular advantage of the rack is that the person does not have to touch the poultry; the person's hands will not get burned or covered with grease, because the only material in contact with the poultry is the rack.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the attached drawings and description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention.